


Curtain Call

by Suggu



Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: Detective, Heavy Angst, M/M, Smut, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:41:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29754918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suggu/pseuds/Suggu
Summary: It all starts when Kartik has almost given up on his life and passion, which also happens to be his profession. He is optimistic nevertheless, but then meets someone who gives his life a whole new aspect.This is a detective fic, with ofcourse a lot of blood and really heavy angst. I won't reveal any further. Cause telling even one word can reveal an entire plot to the readers.I hope you all like it. Fingers crossed 🤞!
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi
Comments: 13
Kudos: 19





	1. The Vulnerabilities

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jeetushman_feelz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeetushman_feelz/gifts).



“Devika! Das Sahab ke case ka kya updates hain?”

Kartik was sitting on his ergonomic chair with his legs put up on the table in front of him. He had a paper weight in his hand and was deeply concentrated on rotating it.

Devika was sitting behind him on an easy chair with a newspaper in hand.

“Bol toh aise raha hain jaise kitna badhiya case mila hain!”

“Case jaisa bhi mile, client toh client hota hain. Updates kya hain?”

Kartik turned his chair to face Devika.

“Unka bachcha ghar laut aaya hain. Bachcha jise woh keh rahe the woh basically unka tota hain. Harishankar Das ke koi bachche nahin the. Pichhle dus saalon mein woh bais panchhiyon ko paalte hain aur unhi ko apna bachcha maante hain. Do saal pehle bais mein se ekkis ‘bachche’ hi marr gaye, bacha tha unka aakhri beta, Amrud. Itna wahiyad naam kaun rakhta hain tote ka?”

Devika was irritated as she had to narrate this disgusting case.

“Aage bol Devi....”

Kartik was least affected by her irritation. He kept on looking at the paper weight in his hand and asked her to continue in an emotionless voice.

Devika glared at Kartik for once before she continued.

“Haan toh ek mahine pehle Amrud apne pinjre se nikalkar udd gaya! Sahi kiya! Kyun rahega pinjre mein ek azaad panchhi?”

“Continue Devi!”

Kartik kept on swaying from side to side on his chair.

“Bol rahi hoon na? Amrud udd gaya tha aur Harishankar ji ko laga kisine use chura liya hain. Isi liye humare paas aaye the taki hum unke panchhi roopi bachche ko waapis laa sake. Toh teen din pehle Amrud ghar aa gaya. Aur humari zaroorat nahin padi. Harishankar ji ne 50% payment kiya hain....”

“Payment ki baat nahin hain Devika ji! Baat hain case ki.”

Kartik sighed and stood up from his chair and took a stroll around the room.

Kartik Singh. Age - 35 years. Height - 5 feet 10 inches. Eye colour - black. Relationship status - currently single.

Too much useless information, right?

Not really useless. To be a detective, you need to notice every small big details in all your cases.

Yes. A detective.

Kartik was an engineer by profession but a detective by passion. Kartik loved his passion so much that he now was a jobless person sitting at home in Chandigarh, waiting for a proper case to come to him sometime. 

Devika Chaturvedi. Age - 31 years. Height - 5 feet 4 inches. Eye colour - deep brown. Relationship status - dating Kartik’s friend and cyber crime officer, Ravi Kumar. Devika worked at an advertising agency and was Kartik’s assistant in which ever case came to him. Not that it helped much, cause Devika had office and considered herself intelligent enough to not give up her profession which would earn her money, and sit idle at home like Kartik. She therefore wasn’t available much all the time. But Kartik still kept her as his assistant because Devika was very good at planning out things and was a real spontaneous acting girl. Her reflexes were fantastic. So all of Kartik’s cases were laid out by Devika to him in the form of a chart, or Kartik would make a chart and Devika would review it.

Devika was Kartik’s junior in college. She had a crush on Kartik for a long time but never owned up until it was Kartik’s last year in college.

Kartik politely revealed that he was interested in men. He would definitely love to have Devika as her friend but couldn’t reciprocate her feelings. Devika was hurt by this. Kartik realised that and being the kind of friendly and flamboyant person he was, he made Devika feel extremely comfortable around him, and then introduced her to his friend Ravi Kumar. 

Ravi was studying computer engineering then, and it was his dream to become a cyber security officer someday. Devika and Ravi vibed quite instantly after they met. Kartik remained as a friend to them and slowly helped in turning their friendship into love a few years later.

It did work out. Ravi expressed what he felt for Devika and she agreed that she felt the same. The trio were great friends and they all lived together in a rented 2BHK apartment. Cause both Devika and Ravi knew what kind of a person Kartik was. And they guessed it just right.

Kartik one day came home saying he left job. When asked why, he replied that he had full proof of a scam going on in the company done by one of the group chairmen and when he brought that into the notice of his boss, his boss blamed him instead saying that could never happen and the chairman was a kind hearted person. He tried to prove it again and then his boss insulted him in front of all his colleagues. Kartik left the job in rage and came back home.

“Tu wahan engineer banke gaya tha ya scam pakadne ka detective banke?”

Devika asked when Kartik came home and sat exhausted on the sofa with his tie loosened.

“Engineer hoon iska yeh matlab toh nahin hain ki galati dekhun aur chup karke baitha rahun? Mujhe jo sahi laga woh maine kiya!”

Kartik was still fuming.

“Achha, sahi kya. Theek hain. Ghatna ko bhool jate hain. Ab aage ka kya?”

Ravi asked him.

“Dekh main aur job nahin karne waala. Ek engineer banke mujhe koi samman nahin mila, ab baari hain mere shauk ki.”

Devika saw determination in his eyes and became sure that Ravi and she were now unofficially the parents to Kartik Singh. They didn’t coax him any further and allowed him to do what he felt was the best for him. Devika later planned with Ravi that they would look after Kartik well. 

Kartik dated a guy named Hardik from his college days. It was a six year long relationship and Hardik broke up with him immediately after Kartik left his job. He first politely said that the pride community isn’t that respected in the country. And if they didn’t have financial stability and dignity, the society wouldn’t think twice before uprooting them. Kartik revolted saying the society comprised of majority criminals and fraudsters. He therefore didn’t care about the society. He also said that if love to Hardik was nothing more than being financially strong, then definitely their views didn’t match. For Kartik believed in the theory that ‘if you love me at my best, you must love me at my worst too!”

Hardik said he didn’t believe that love could exist without financial stability and it was then that it was mutually decided that Kartik didn’t deserve him. Both of them agreed that Hardik deserved better. Hardik left cursing Kartik that he’d never find love again.

A relationship of six years which broke in a few minutes had a deep impact on Kartik, who then immersed himself completely in alcohol. He wasn’t out of the insult of his boss and Hardik, someone Kartik knew was there for him for six long years, now left him just because he was jobless. 

Devika and Ravi found that Kartik was no longer a normal being. He didn’t sleep for more than 45 minutes a day, ate little to nothing and was always drinking. He cried at nights occasionally and kept a tough look on his face throughout the day.

His state was something neither Devika nor Ravi could tolerate. He was jobless and now whatever savings he had, he was exhausting them over bottles of whiskey. 

Devika started to take care of Kartik like his own mother. She would make his bed, put fragrance in his room and scolded him whenever he refused to eat anything. Kartik was grumpy always, but he never spoke a word against Devika. He did whatever she told him to do. Devika didn’t force him to get engaged in activities much but didn’t let him sit idle either. She nursed Kartik like a mother, slowly reduced his alcohol consumption and then stopped it finally one day. 

One night Devika heard a sobbing sound from Kartik’s room. She went in and found that Kartik was crying silently there, holding the railings of his window and looking down at the empty street below. She tip toed into the room and gently placed her hand on Kartik’s shoulder. 

Kartik hugged her immediately and started to cry hard on her shoulders. Devika hugged her back and gently stroked her fingers through Kartik’s hairs. Ravi came running from the other room hearing his voice. Devika signalled him to keep quiet and to let Kartik cry. 

Kartik cried for a long time in Devika’s warm hug and then released himself. 

“Hardik ko chhe saalon se jaanta hoon. Kabhi laga nahin tha woh aisa karega. Insaan ko samajhne mein kabhi kabhi zindagi guzar jaati hain, hain na Devi? Pehchaan na itna aasan nahin hota kisiko.”

Devika let Kartik speak his heart out. Kartik spoke for the first time in so many days.

The next morning Kartik was a whole new person. He came out of his room and had tea with his friends in the living area. He discussed with Ravi his plans of opening an office to which Ravi replied that he should first solve a few cases and then spend money on office. It made sense to Kartik. He therefore dropped the idea and selected Devika as his assistant.

“Achha bhai! Raat ko Devi ke paas baithke do baatein kya kar lee, abhi assistant woh bann gayi? Mera koi existence hi nahin raha?”

“Hain hain, existence hain. Tere sivay gundon ke call records kaise track karunga main? Par Devi ko mujhe assistant isi liye chahiye cause she has marvellous instincts and also sharp reflexes. Usse zyada able assistant aur kahan milega mujhe?”

Both Ravi and Devika were initially prepared that it was a child’s play that Kartik started. He would eventually get bored by this and end up joining a job.

But Kartik was adamant. Whatever small cases came to him, he would solve them with great concentration and end up receiving good amounts of money. Devika and Ravi were happy. If Kartik’s passion earned him a living too, what better could it be?

But slowly after a year, number of cases started to reduce and very silly, petty cases came to him.

Coming back to the current day.

“Payment ki baat nahin hain Devika ji! Baat hain case ki!”

Kartik left his chair and took a stroll in the room.

“Dekh Kartik aise kitne din tak chalega? Kab tak logon ka tota kauwa aur pati dhoondhte rahenge hum?”

Devika asked really confused.

“Pati se yaad aaya. Mrs. Agarwal ke pati ka kya hua? Woh case toh maine solve kar diya tha.”

“Haan aur uski payment bhi aa gayi. Unke pati ka affair nahin tha koi, unko kirtan sunne ka shauk tha. Mrs. Agarwal ko bhagwan pe utna bharosa nahin tha isi liye Mr. Agarwal chhup chhup ke Radha Krishna ka naam sunne jaate the.”

“Haan aur ISKCON mandir ke bahar humne unhen dekha tha.”

“Haan. Mrs. Agarwal ne payment kar diya hain pura.”

“Tu jaanta hain Devi? Asli baat kya hain? Hindu dharm kehta hain na satya yug ke baare mein? Mujhe lagta hain yeh satya yug shayad shuru ho gaya hain. Nahin toh crime rate itna ghat kaise sakta hain? Koi insaan dhang se crime hi nahin karta.”

Ravi joked from the side.

“Tum log ko toh khush hona chahiye ki crime rate ghat raha hain. Ulta shokh mana rahe ho! Ajeeb insaan ho!”

Kartik said, sitting back on his chair.

“Shokh nahin mana rahe. Bass teri fikar hain yaar. Tu apne sapne ko follow karne ke chakkar mein yahin bhool gaya hain ki zinda rehne ke liye khaane peene ki bhi zaroorat hoti hain. Aur uske liye paise chahiye hote hain.”

Devika said, concern clear in her voice.

“Haan toh paise toh aa rahe hain. Yeh Mrs. Agarwal ne toh diye na.”

Kartik replied and Devika pinned her eyes over Kartik. Kartik looked everywhere else in the room but not at her.

“Yeh, yeh aath hazar rupaye ka consolation prize tu khud ko de, mujhe nahin chahiye. Tu toh maanta bhi nahin meri baat. Kisne kaha detective na banne ko? Bano. Lekin job kyun chhodna hain uske liye? Job karte karte bhi toh yeh kiya ja sakta hain!”

Devika gave a long offended speech to Kartik.

“Kisi bhi cheez ke liye lagan zaroori hoti hain....”

Kartik started.

“Lo! Shuru ho gaya phirse!”

Devika stood up from her easy chair and went into the kitchen.

“That’s so mean! Anyways, kisi bhi kaam ke liye lagan is important. Woh na rahe, toh na toh us kaam ko theek se kar payenge aur na toh baaki kaamon ko. Isi liye....”

“Isi liye zindagi bhar wahi karna chahiye jisse dil ko khushi mile, dil ko sukoon mile. Kyunki kaam jab ek hi karna hain, toh dil ki kyun na sune, nahin?”

Devika came out of the kitchen with a basket of bread, butter and jam as she narrated remaining part of Kartik’s speech.

“That’s like my assistant!”

Kartik stood up and walked towards the dining table.

“Kartik tu gussa dila raha hain mujhe!”

“Sahi kiya toh. Gussail aurat ko gussa na dilaun toh aur kya karun?”

Kartik even joked seriously and that made Devika even more angry every time.

“Nahin, I’m serious Kartik. Kab tak aise panchhi kho jana ya extra marital affairs ke cases solve karta rahega tu? Your worth is higher than all this.”

Devika said as she put butter on a slice of bread and handed it over to Kartik.

“Detective ka kaam kya hota hain pata hain? Sach ko dhoondh nikaalna, aur musibat mein phase logon ko wahan se mukt karna. Bass! Phir chahe musibat kisi ki panchhi udd jaana ho ya kisi ka biwi bhaag jaana, baat toh ek hi hain! Aur pata hain private detective kyun hoon main? Kyunki sarkari detective aur police ko ghanta phark nahin padta koi musibat se nikle ya nahin. Aise situations mujhe nahin pasand. Isi liye private hi sahi.”

Kartik always spoke this lightly and casually and it made Devika worry even more about him.

“Tu jaanta hain is waqt tujhe kis cheez ki zaroorat hain? Ek bande ki; jiski baat maan ke tu zindagi bhar chal sake. Kyunki meri toh sunna bandh kar diya hain tune. Ab apna pati aayega tabhi tujhe sabak milegi. Woh tujhe aise majboor karega kaam karne ke liye, tab maza aayega! I’m waiting for that day.”

Devika said as Kartik looked at her with suspicious eyes.

“Kabhi kabhi main sochta hoon, ghar mein hi do do criminals hain jo dost banke baithe hain. Bahar dhoondhne ki kya zaroorat hain? Tum donon mere barbadi ka conspiracy bana rahe ho?”

Ravi laughed at this.

“Nahin Kartik. Conspiracy barbadi ka nahin, tujhe sambhalne ka bana rahe hain. Pyaar ke bina zindagi mein kya hain? Agar pyaar na ho, zindagi mein aur reh hi kya jaata hain?”

Devika sat down beside him and gently spoke.

“Tum donon ho na. Aur kisika pyaar nahin chahiye mujhe.”

“Arrey yaar!”

Devika stood up irritated again.

“Chhod chhod Devi, Kartik ke saath baaton mein koi kabhi jeet nahin sakta.”

Ravi commented on seeing Devika really angry.

“Saro jaake jahan mann ho. Phir rote rote mere paas mat aana!”

Devika took the plates and went into the kitchen. 

Ravi looked at Kartik who was deeply concentrating on reading a newspaper.

“Ghoor kyun raha hain aise?”

Kartik asked Ravi without shifting his eyes from the newspaper.

“Kuch toh bata Kartik. Aise kaise chalega? Dekh Devi ke saamne maine kaha nahin kuch, woh jhik jhik karegi lekin....”

“Achha, main jhik jhik karungi?”

Devika over heard Ravi from the kitchen.

“Nahin mujhe toh bass jhik jhik karna hi aata hain na? Main kuch aur bolti hi kahan hoon? Meri zaroorat hi kya hain? Jhik jhik karti hoon tabhi toh tum do dost mujhe thoda sa importance dete ho. Warna kabhi dete? Fikar bhi hain tum donon ko kuch, ki ghar kaise chalta hain......”

Ravi stood up to console Devika who kept on shouting. Kartik took a deep breath.

“Shukr hain meri zindagi mein koi nahin hain!”

Kartik sighed as he spoke. Though the words were spoken in a manner which sounded of relief and sarcasm, deep within Kartik knew he wanted to be loved, he wanted to feel needed.

_Ting tong, ting tong, ting tong, ting tong, tinggg tong_

The doorbell rang all of a sudden.

“Arrey ladna bandh karo abhi. Koi aaya hain....”

“Tujhe kyun lagta hain main jhik jhik karti hoon? Mujhe achha lagta hain kya?”

_Ting tong, ting tong, ting tong, ting tong, tinggg tong_

Neither Devika stopped shouting, nor did the visitor stop ringing the bell. Thus, Kartik left his cosy space and went to open the door.

“Kartik Singh...yahin ghar hain unka?”

A man was standing at the door. He was hardly 33 years old and was wearing a blue t-shirt, a pair of trousers and a casual pair of slippers. His face was red, eyes swollen as if he had been crying for a long time and was infact crying even now, at Kartik’s door. He was shivering slightly, which explains the reason behind the constant ring of the doorbell. He looked exhausted as he had dark circles below his eyes. Seemed like he hadn’t slept well for many nights.

“Ji, main hi Kartik Singh hoon. Aap pehle andar aaiye.”

Kartik helped the man inside his house. Seeing a stranger enter, Devika and Ravi stopped too.

Kartik helped the man inside and made him sit on the sofa. He had stopped by crying then. Devika got him a glass of water and kept it in front of him. The man had horrified expressions all over his face.

“Paani.”

He looked at Devika as she said and then at the glass of water and broke down to tears again. He started to shiver once more as he cried bitterly. Kartik sat beside him and rubbed his back to calm him down. He continued to cry. 

“Ji, are you okay now?”

Kartik asked the man when he stopped crying and shivering after sometime. He nodded in response.

“Abhi bataiye. Kya kaam hain aapko mujhse? How can I help you?”

Kartik had a calm and cool voice in which he spoke. The man therefore calmed down and looked at Kartik who had now changed his position and was sitting in front of him.

“Kisine mere tauji ka hatya kar diya!”

The man spoke, his voice becoming heavy again. 

“Aapka naam?”

“Main Aman....Aman Tripathi. Businessman Vishwanath Tripathi, woh... mere tauji the. Main unka bhatija hoon.”

“Achha. Aman, aap mujhe khul ke bataiye ki aapko kaise aur kab pata chala ki kisine aapke tauji ka hatya kiya hain?”

Kartik asked, fine lines appearing in his forehead. Devika and Ravi also sat down on the chairs. They realised that finally Kartik got a case which he was dying to solve for so long.

“Tauji roz ki tarah kal raat ko ghar aaye aur unhone chai mangwayi. Uske baad toh woh apne kamre mein chale gaye.... Raat ko khaane ke samay taiji ne unko bulaya, woh aa bhi gaye.....khush hi the. Sabse baatein karte karte khana kha liye, aur phir sone chale gaye. Aj subah.... Navya unka chai lekar gayi tabhi usne dekha ki.....ki kisi ne tauji ko aise pichhe se maar diya hain. Khoon tha unke charo or. Navya ke cheekh se hi hum sab daudke gaye aur dekha.....”

Aman’s eyes moistened again.

“Navya kaun?”

Kartik asked.

“Navya....meri chhoti behen.”

“Achha.....”

Kartik replied, thinking something.

“Haan, aap please chaliye. Ajay bhaiya, tauji ka bada beta, unhone aapko bulane ke liye kaha hain.”

“Aapne Kartik ke baare mein kaha se jaana?”

Devika asked.

Aman looked at her and then at Kartik. Kartik was looking at him too.

“Woh Mohit ne suggest kiya. Mohit, mera bada bhai hain. Uske boss ke kisi gharelu case mein Kartik ne madad kiya tha. Mohit keh raha tha ki Kartik ji se achha....”

“Achha, Aman aap log ka ghar kahan hain?”

Kartik asked, stopping him in between.

“Ji, Panchkula se thodi door. Aap kab aa rahe ho?”

“Hum abhi aate hain. Aap apna number mujhe de dijiye, main thodi der mein aata hoon.”

Aman gave him his phone number and Kartik consoled him by saying that he would definitely find out the murderer of his tauji. Aman left after that.

“Kya lagta hain Kartik?”

Ravi asked from behind as Kartik watched Aman walk down the street from his window.

“Patience, Ravi, patience. It is important to concentrate before you decide and act.”

Kartik said as he looked down blankly at the street.

“Ek minute. Decide tak toh theek tha, lekin act? Tu soch raha hain tu jayega ya nahin? Itne dinon baad achha case aaya hain Kartik.”

“Hmmm....”

That’s all Kartik said, in reply to Devika’s concern.

“Creep!”

Devika rolled her eyes and went away. 

“Kya soch raha hain Kartik?”

Ravi asked.

“Pata nahin.....”

“Pata nahin? Kya....”

Ravi’s phone rang. He excused himself and left the place, leaving Kartik alone by the window. 

He kept on staring blankly at the busy street below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We haven't stared on with darkness or angst in this fic yet. That's all I had to say.😂😂
> 
> I hope you all liked the chapter and also can guess the idea of the fic now. I promise of suspense and a lot of cliffhangers much against many of your wills.😂😂😂
> 
> And if you didn't like it too, please let me know so that I can decide if I should continue the fic or not. 
> 
> Also, my dearest Trish had helped me in naming this fic.
> 
> And ofc Harshey, who heard me out on all my stupid ideas and then approved this one. No, she doesn't know the entire story. I told no one. Suspense is for everyone. And also my dearest Kanokangshi who helped me out with certain translations. 
> 
> Love you Harshita, Trish and Kano. You all mean a lot to me!❤️


	2. The Connections

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kartik comes to the Tripathi Nivas and meets a few more people. Aman is his all time companion. Not that Aman wanted to be, but, yes, Kartik did! Read on to find out!

Kartik and Devika stood outside the gate of the huge ‘Tripathi Nivas’.

“Itne paison ka maalik aakhir mein murder ho gaye! Huh, what a sad end!”

Devika sighed as she told Kartik.

“Hmmm par Raja ka death humesha royal hi hoga, aisa toh nahin likha hain kahi, hain na?”

Kartik replied looking at the huge two storied building in front of him. It seemed to be quite old but renovated and maintained. It had a huge gate which led to the building inside. 

Devika knew Kartik’s weird answers. She didn’t care about it and they were about to enter the house.

“Ek minute! Kisse milna hain?”

A security personnel stopped Kartik and Devika’s way.

“Woh.....”

Devika started to speak but Kartik cut in between.

“Hum Aman ke dost hain. Aman Tripathi?”

The guard allowed them to enter the house.

“Roka kyun tune mujhe? Kya hota agar bol deti ki investigation ke liye aaye hain?”

“Agar murderer baharwaala hua, toh jitne baharwaale janenge ki investigation ke liye detective lagaya hain, woh utna hi satark ho jayega na? Abhi tak pata nahin hain Devi ki kisne murder kiya hain. Isi liye jo bolna hain, jo karna hain woh sab soch samajh ke karna hoga.”

Devika nodded in agreement.

They reached the main door of the house. It was a huge wooden door which was opened. Perhaps, police had come over to check out the matter.

Seemed like the Tripathi Nivas was an ancient house with repairs in the recent years. The old furniture and designs of the house were enough to prove the same. It was a two storied building with a huge open yard in between. The rooms were located around this open area in both the ground floor and the first floor. Normally ancient houses have this type of structures.

“Kartik, tum aa gaye?”

Kartik stopped his observation of the house and saw Aman come running towards them.

“Hum sab tumhari hi wait kar rahe the! Oh, sorry, aap hi ka wait kar rahe the!”

Aman felt a bit embarrassed on addressing Kartik as ‘tum’.

“Aman, tum mujhe apna dost samajh sakte ho. Aur gharwaalon ke alava kisi ko pata nahin chalna chahiye ki main kaun hoon, aur kyun yahan hoon.”

Aman nodded and took Kartik to the crime spot.

Vishwanath Tripathi’s room was a big one. Kartik looked through the door and found the body on the bed lying on it’s chest, he faced the opposite side of the room, and was thus not visible from the door. The corpse lay on the bed with blood soaked around his waist and also on the bed sheet and the mattress. He had been stabbed in his waist according to reports by the police.

The police had come to take away evidences from the plot and they were at work. Kartik spoke to them for a while asking about the weapon and other evidences from which they could infer anything at the moment.

The ones at work replied that the weapon was missing. It wasn’t found in the room or anywhere in the house. And time of death will only be known from post mortem report. Apart from that, all evidences need to be examined before anything can be concluded.

There was a broken cup and tea spilled all over on the ground near the door.

“Woh Navya subah darr gayi thi Tauji ko dekh ke jab woh chai lekar aayi. Tabhi woh cup girr gaya uske haath se.”

Aman said as he saw Kartik looking at the mess. He nodded and entered the room.

Kartik went and stood on the other side of the dead body, to see his face.

Vishwanath Tripathi’s eyes were closed, his jaws had tightened due to the Rigor Mortis which had set in by that time. Blood soaked in the bedsheet as well as on the mattress on which he was sleeping. He was a fat man, with a part of his head being bald. The rings in his fingers were probably fixed and they were tight, cause the muscles above them were swollen. He also had a golden chain around his neck. The murderer didn’t take the chain. This surprised Kartik a bit. Vishwanath Tripathi’s lips were red. Kartik bent down to see that his tongue was red too.

“Vishwanath ji paan khaate the Aman?”

Kartik asked because of the colour of his tongue and also because he spotted a paan case on the bedside table besides a glass of water, a book and a basket of medicines.

“Haan, Tauji ka woh ek hi nasha tha. Na drink karte the na smoke. Bass din mein poora din paan chabate rehte the.”

Aman replied, with tears in his eyes. Devika stood beside him and gently patted his back.

“Metamorphosis by Kafka! Interesting!”

Kartik read the title of the book. He didn’t pick it up as that would only increase fingerprints on it.

“Aap log?”

A man came into the room and joined his hands as he approached Kartik. He was a fair person, age.... 36 approximately. He was quite tall, a bit taller than Kartik. He wore a casual sweatpants, a t-shirt and a pair of slippers. His face was red, probably due to crying and his eyes proved just the same as they were red and swollen. He also had a moustache below his nose which was quite dense.

“Namaste! Main Kartik Singh aur yeh meri dost Devika.”

The man looked at Aman for a few seconds.

“Yahin hain woh jiske baare mein Mohit keh raha tha?”

The man asked Aman who nodded in response.

He then turned towards Kartik and tried hard to bring a smile on his face to greet him.

“Namaste, main Ajay Tripathi, Vishwanath Tripathi ka bada beta.”

Kartik joined his hands in traditional style and responded to his greetings.

“Hum bahar chalte hain. Police ko apna kaam karne dete hain.”

Ajay said and led everyone out of the room.

“Ajay ji, kaun kaun hain aapke parivar mein?”

Kartik asked as the four of them walked together on the long corridor.

“Ji, main, mummy, Papa, mere bhai Ashwin aur Gaurav aur humari chhoti behen Surbhi.”

Kartik looked at Aman who looked down towards the ground as they walked.

“Aur Aman?”

Kartik asked pointing towards Aman.

Ajay didn’t quite like the fact that he was being asked about Aman. He looked at him with neglect in his eyes which also reflected in his voice as he spoke.

“Haan Mohit, Aman aur Navya bhi hain. Yeh log mere chacha ke bachche hain. Chacha ke maut ke baad yeh log humare saath hi rehte hain.”

Kartik looked at Aman once again. Aman didn’t look back at him as Ajay’s voice had neglect clear in it.

“Achha Ajay ji, aap kaam kya karte ho? Like you work somewhere or....”

Kartik realised Aman was feeling uncomfortable. He changed the topic.

“Ji main papa ka hi business dekhta hoon. Maine MBA kiya, uske baad se Papa ne hi mujhe job de diya. Abhi Papa ke company mein main aur Gaurav kaam karte hain. Main Vice chairman hoon, aur Gaurav Chartered Accountant hain. Woh accounts dekhta hain.”

“Ashwin aur Surbhi? Woh donon kaam nahin karte wahan?”

Devika asked.

“Ji Surbhi toh bachchi hain. Abhi college mein hain, masters kar rahi hain. Aur Ashwin..... usko business mein zyada interest nahin hain. Kavi hain woh, likh likh ke din guzarta hain.”

“A poet!”

Kartik said perhaps praising the chosen profession. He too liked poetry.

“Not a renowned one, Sir! Very few of my brother’s works have been published.”

Ajay replied.

“Achha, aapne kaha ki aapke chacha ke maut ke baad, Aman aur uske bhai behen yahin rehte hain. Aapke chacha ki maut kaise huyi?”

“Main nahin jaanta.”

“Nahin jante?”

Devika asked.

“Ji nahin.”

“Mr. Ajay, if I may ask you, kal raat aap kahan the?”

Kartik asked him, stopping their stroll on the corridor.

“Ji main parso Ludhiana gaya tha. Do bohot zaroori meeting the. Aur subah... khabar sunte hi main chala aaya. Papa aise chale gaye.....”

Ajay’s voice turned heavy as his eyes filled with tears. Kartik held him by his shoulders and comforted him by speaking calm words into his ears.

“Achha Ajay ji, mujhe aapke parivar ke logon ke saath baat karni hain. Sabhi ke saath, including Aman, Mohit and Navya. Aur, agar takleef na ho, toh sab se akele mein baat karna chahata hoon.”

Kartik said after Ajay stabilized himself.

“Haan ji, nahin nahin, takleef kyun hogi? Main abhi dekhta hoon.”

Ajay left to check for others leaving Aman alone with Devika and him. Kartik looked at Aman next.

“Aman, ek baat batao, yeh Ajay tumhe zyada pasand nahin karta kya?”

“Balcony mein chale? Yahan bohot saare log hain.”

Aman almost whispered to Kartik’s ears.

“Haan sure.”

Aman led the way taking Kartik and Devika into the balcony.

“Woh darasal baat yeh hain ki Ajay bhaiya, Ashwin bhaiya aur Gaurav bhaiya hum logon ko pasand nahin karte. Papa ke maut ke baad hum log yahan inke aashray mein hain na. Toh humari treatment bhi is ghar mein waisi hi hain. Hum teenon ke income bhi utne achhe nahin hain ki kahi aur jaakar rahe. Par Tauji bohot pyaar karte the humse. Aur Taiji bhi....thoda bohot.”

“Tumhare papa ki maut kaise huyi?”

“Pata nahin.”

“Pata nahin?”

“Nahin.”

Aman replied in shortest possible words and looked outside towards the trees. Kartik looked at Devika. How could someone not know the cause of death of their father?

But Kartik didn’t coax him any further and changed the topic.

“Tum kaam kya karte ho Aman?”

“Main ek sarkari karmchari hoon. Zirakpur post office mein kaam karta hoon.”

“Kal raat tum kitne baje ghar aaye?”

“Aat baje.”

“Uske baad kahi bahar gaye?”

“Nahin, main kamre mein hi tha. Bass khaane ke samay Navya ne bulaya tab sab ke saath khaana khaane gaye. Phir waapis kamre mein hi aa gaya.”

“Kitne baje kamre mein aaye?”

“Takriban dus baje.”

“Uske baad?”

“Uske baad aur kya? Main so gaya.”

“Tumhara kamra dekh sakte hain hum log?”

Kartik asked. Aman nodded and led them downstairs.

“Tum neeche rehte ho?”

Kartik asked as they walked down the staircase.

“Haan Mohit bhaiya, main aur Navya neeche hi rehte hain.”

Aman led them to his room.

The room was a small one with the least possible furniture and accessories. One bed, a closet, a wooden chair and a small wooden table was all that was there. It smelled of moss as sunlight barely entered the room. There was a plastic chair beside the bed which was used as a bedside table. It had three medicine leaves and a glass of water. It was half full. The room was small yet tidy. But it was rude of someone to allow his own nephew to stay in such a place. And Aman said he loved them. A little act of kindness can have a huge effect on people, indeed.

“Tum yahan rehte ho? Yeh tumhara hi ka kamra hain?”

Aman was standing at the entrance with his head leaned on the door as he looked at Kartik. He nodded in response. Kartik noticed that look in his eyes towards him.

“Yeh dawaiyan kis cheez ki?”

“Woh mujhe insomnia hain. Dawaiyon ke bina main so nahin pata.”

“Hmm aur tumhara kamra jahan located hain, Vishwanath ji chillaye honge tab bhi tumhe sunayi nahin diya hoga.”

“Ji?”

Aman asked.

“Tumhara kamra Vishwanath ji ke kamre ke ekdum diagonally opposite side mein yahan neeche hain. Itna bada angan hain beech mein. Murder ke time pe woh chillayenge bhi, tab bhi tumhe sunayi nahin diya hoga, hain na?”

“Nahin, maine kuch nahin suna. Main so raha tha.”

“Aur woh bhi do do dawai leke.”

Aman was surprised at that. Kartik smiled.

“Naya leaflet hain. Us mein se bass do hi goli missing hain.”

Aman nodded.

“Haan kal do tablets liye the maine. Neend nahin aa rahi thi ek se.”

“Bhaiya, Ajay bhaiya upar bula rahe hain aap sabko.”

Aman shifted a bit from the door. Kartik looked at the door and found the source of the voice.

A girl who was almost of Aman’s height and probably two or three years younger to Aman, stood there at the door looking at them. She wore a salwar with a dupatta and a patiala pant and had slippers on her feet. Her long hair was tied in the form of a pony tail. She looked at Aman, Kartik and Devika, one by one.

“Yeh Navya hain, meri chhoti behen.”

Aman introduced her to Kartik. Navya greeted him by joining hands.

“Achha Navya, tumne hi toh Vishwanath ji ko sabse pehle dekha tha aj subah, nahin?”

Navya looked down at the floor and nodded.

“Kya dekha tha tumne subah?”

“Roz subah Tauji ki chai main hi banake le jaati hoon. Tauji ka kehna tha ki mere haath ke chai ke bina unka din hi shuru nahin hota....”

Navya choked on her voice, as it became heavy.

“Main darwaza khatkhatayi par andar se awaaz nahin aaya koi. Tab maine halka sa dhakka diya toh darwaza khul gaya. Tabhi maine dekha ki Tauji aise.....”

Navya broke down to tears. Devika went up to her and hugged her sideways.

“Chai ki plate mere haath se girrke tu gayi. Tabhi Gaurav bhaiya daudke aaye aur unhone mujhe kaha Aman bhaiya aur baki sabhi ko jagane ke liye. Mohit bhaiya aur Ajay Bhaiya toh ghar par nahin the aur Ashwin bhaiya so rahe the, toh unhe maine jagaya nahin.”

“Kyun Ashwin bhaiya ko kyun nahin jagaye?”

Navya looked at Aman, who looked at her and then looked down on the floor.

“Woh.....Ashwin bhaiya thode gussail swabhav ke hain. Unhe koi kuch nahin kehta. Woh bass Taiji ki sunte hain. Aj subah bhi Taiji ne hi unhe jagaya. Bohot darr lagta hain ki daant na de.”

“Ashwin kal raat kahan the?”

“Ghar pe, apne kamre mein hi the.”

Aman replied to this question. 

“Aur Mohit?”

“Mohit bhaiya kal ghar pe nahin the. Woh assistant lawyer hain ek bade vakil ke. Toh unhone kaha tha ki ek zaroori case hain, discussions karne hain Sir ke saath. Toh ghar nahin aa payenge raat ko.”

Navya replied.

“Achha Navya, tumhare mummy papa ka maut kaise hua?”

“Mummy mere janam ke samay hi marr gaye. Aur papa.....papa ka pata nahin.”

“Pata nahin?”

“Nahin.”

Kartik looked at Devika again. 

“Achha, bass do aur sawaal karna hain tumse, uske baad tum ja sakti ho. Pehla, tum kaam kya karti ho, aur doosra kal raat tum kahan thi?”

“Main Panchkula mein hi ek dance school mein Bharatanatyam sikhati hoon. Aur kal raat main ghar pe hi thi.”

“Tumhara kamra kahan hain?”

“Aman bhaiya ke kamre ke paas hi. Yahan se nikalke ek kamra chhodke left waala mera kamra hain.”

“Theek hain thank you so much. Ab tum ja sakti ho. Aur ek kaam karna, Ashwin ko bulana jahan bhi Ajay ji ne bandobast kiya hain.”

“Theek hain. Bhaiya aap...?”

Navya turned and looked at Aman as she asked.

“Aman humare saath rahega.”

Kartik replied to Navya’s incomplete question.

“Theek hain....aap ka naam?”

“Main Kartik aur yeh meri dost Devika.”

“Theek hain Kartik bhaiya.”

Navya smiled, a rather pale one and left.

“Gadbad hain Devi.”

Kartik whispered to Devika’s ears. She nodded.

“Ab? Kahan jaana chahoge?”

“Abhi tumhare Tauji ke kamre mein waapis ja sakte hain ekbar?”

“Haan zaroor. Aao.”

Aman took them up the staircase into Vishwanath Tripathi’s room.

“Hathiyar mila kya? Jisse hatya kiya gaya hain?”

Kartik asked the inspector. The inspector knew Kartik for a case. He respected him a lot.

“Arrey Kartik! Tum yahan? What a surprise! Nahin hathiyar toh nahin mila abhi tak. Khoj jaari hain. Asha hain ki mil jaaye. Waise tumhe kya lagta hain? Kaisa hathiyar ho sakta hain?”

“Dekho, ghaav dekh ke toh lagta hain chaku jaise kisi cheez se hi maara gaya hain. Kai bar the body has been stabbed.”

“Thrice. Not more.”

A police personnel spoke all of a sudden. 

“Okay okay.”

The inspector replied.

“Ashwin bhaiya aa gaye hain. Intezar kar rahe hain aapka.”

Navya came behind them and informed.

“Aman, tum abhi aa sakte ho. Agar zaroorat padi toh main call kar loonga tumhe.”

Aman nodded and left.

Kartik and Devika followed Navya into a huge room.

“Aaiye Mr.....?”

Ashwin spoke just as Kartik entered the room. 

“Kartik Singh. Aur yeh meri dost Devika!”

Kartik joined his hands. He didn’t smile this time.

For Ashwin’s looks didn’t make him feel like smiling.

Ashwin Tripathi, a tall mostly fair man who stood there at the room with a huge cigar in his hand. He was two years younger to Ajay but looked the same as Ajay’s age. Ashwin could barely stand on his feet. He was drunk even in the afternoon. He wore a loose pyjama and a kurta and had a pair of slippers on. His eyes were red. Probably he had drunk the last night and couldn’t sleep for this chaos.

“Mr. Singh! So what are you here for?”

“I’m here for investigating your father’s murder.”

“But why do you need to? I thought the police was doing his work.”

Ashwin gave a nasty chuckle as he completed, which was neither liked by Devika nor Kartik.

“Yes, they are and you are not wrong when you think this. But I hope you don’t have a problem when I investigate too, do you?”

“Oh no no, no problem for sure! Main agar problem kahunga toh tumhare jaise do kauri ka detective toh mujhe hi jail bhej dega, hain na Singh? Kyun itna kaam kare? Isko aapatti hain, isi ne murder kiya hain, kyun?”

Ashwin laughed at his own joke.

“Maine suna aap kavi ho. Par kisi kavi ke bol itne karwe hain, yeh nahin jaanta tha.”

“Kavita toh kalam se likhi jaati hain Singh. Uske liye bol ki kya zaroorat hain?”

“Soch ki baat hain. Jiska soch karwa ho, uska bol aur lekh dono hi karwe honge. Kyunki mool toh karwi hi hain na. Agar mool kharab ho, toh pedh ya uske patte kaise achhe ho sakte hain?”

“Yeh bohot sahi kaha tumne guru. Sunoge ek shayari?”

“Ji, sunaiye.”

Kartik looked around the room as Ashwin coughed a little to start.

“Gulab ki sugandh se adhik meethi,  
Tere khusboodar baal hain.  
Raat ke nashe mein choor hoke bhi,  
Poochhta hoon tera kya haal hain?  
Nashili raaton mere tera aana,  
Ek parchhayi ke shabd jaisa hain.  
Kab aake baahon mein le le mujhe,  
Tera badan kisi aur ke liye anuplabdh jaisa hain.”

Devika turned out and left the room. Kartik looked at him.

“Toh kiske liye likhte ho yeh sab?”

“Janab, is sookhe dil mein koi nahin hain. Akele akele chand ko dekh ke hi....”

“Dil sookha toh nahin lagta. Sharab se jo bhigokar rakhte ho.”

“You have no right to talk to me like that!”

“I do not have the interest to do so either. Aap kal raat kahan the?”

Kartik asked in a firm voice.

“Apne kamre mein.”

“Aur kitne baje soye?”

“Barah baje, ya phir ek, yaad nahin. Dekh, mujhe koi cheekhne veekhne ki awaaz nahin aayi. Tum jaise detectives toh yahin poochhoge na? Aur agar tu yahin poochh ne aaya hain, toh now you know. Can I leave now?”

“Oh please! Your company is extremely draining. Thank you so much!”

“My pleasure!”

“Kaun hain yeh? Chhi! Woh shayari tha?”

Devika entered the room and asked Kartik after Ashwin left on his tripping feet.

“Gadbad hain Devi!”

“Haan yaar! Bohot bara gadha hain! Woh shayari tha?”

“Pehle toh na Ajay, na Aman, aur na hi Navya, kisi ko bhi apne chacha ya papa ke death ke baare mein nahin pata. Aise kaise? Marr chuke hain, lekin kaise mare yeh nahin jaante? Aur doosra, yeh Ashwin kya sach mein itni nashe mein uninterested hain apne papa ke maut ke baare mein? Use dekh ke aisa laga nahin ki uske Papa marr chuke hain. Kitna bhi nasha kar le, use pata toh hain.”

“Haan. Sahi kaha. Aur Aman?”

“Sach kahun toh ek wahi hain jiske reactions mujhe theek lage. Ek itne bade haatse ke baad ghar mein sab ki halat jaisi honi chahiye, ek akela Aman ki hi halat waisi hain.”

“That doesn’t keep him out of suspicion.”

“No ofcourse not. But...”

“But?”

Kartik didn’t know the answer to this ‘but’. He tried to think a bit more but got interrupted.

“Main andar aa sakta hoon?”

A man stood at the door of the room. He wore a sweat shirt, a sweat pant and a pair of slippers. He looked sober though his eyes were red.

“Ji bilkul. Aap kaun?”

“Main Gaurav, Gaurav Tripathi, Vishwanath ji ka chhota beta.”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger hain, but not a strong one. What say? Should have been a darker waala na?🤨
> 
> Oh and also, how was Ashwin's shayari? Did you all feel like reacting just as Devika did? Let me know haan!
> 
> I hope you all liked the chapter. As always, I'd love to hear your views on it! I'll be waiting eagerly!💜
> 
> Also, Kanokangshi Nandi, I hate you so much for scolding me and also asking me to reveal the suspense to you, which I will never do. (But I also love you so I cannot ask you to die! Duh!)


End file.
